CUBS BITS

Micah Hoffpauir: Cubs 'expect to win'

May 25, 2009|BY PAUL SULLIVAN

SAN DIEGO — The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field await the Cubs, who know they may face a hostile reception if they don't get off to a good start on the homestand against Pittsburgh and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"You win that first one at home, and you don't have to worry about it," Micah Hoffpauir said. "That's Chicago fans. We know what to expect. We love them. You appreciate them because they're there every day, they're very faithful. And they expect you to win. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

"Ask anyone in this locker room. We expect to win. To say we're worried about the fans when we go home? Not at all. That's part of the game, and you have to deal with it. If you're not playing well, they're going to let you know. Start playing well, and we don't have to worry about it."

Loss of words: Manager Lou Piniella held a closed-door meeting with his players to tell them to relax and just play the game. Too many hitters were going back to the video room to look at pitches after bad at-bats, which only reinforced the problems they were having at the plate.

But after Sunday's loss, Piniella had nothing more to say.

"What do we need to say or do?" he said. "I said the things I had to say. The players have to play on the field. We can talk all we want. We can be as positive as we want. They've got to get the job done on the field. Period."

Under the microscope: Rookie starter Randy Wells said the Cubs, like any big-market team, are under added scrutiny during hard times.

"If the Yankees do the same thing, George [Steinbrenner] and the whole New York media is going crazy over it," Wells said. "In all reality, it's baseball. It's happened to everybody as long as baseball has been around.

"Good teams snap out of it. Bad teams don't. I've only been here for a couple weeks, but I've seen the guys last year and seen the guys this year, and the attitude is good.

"I think everyone's just pressing too much."

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Big number

65: The Cubs are last in the NL with 65 doubles after leading the league last season with 329.